Ring in spring & win a prize with your Festival photography

RALEIGH, N.C. (April 2, 2007) - The National Cherry Blossom Festival®, the annual celebration of Japan's gift of cherry trees to Washington D.C., and Lulu.com announced the start of the first official National Cherry Blossom Festival® Photo Contest on March 31, 2007, the opening day of the Festival.

The photo contest is an opportunity for photographers of any skill level to submit their photos of favorite Festival memories, the many scenic views along the Tidal Basin, and unforgettable moments under Washington's blossoms at www.lulu.com/blossoms. Lulu.com, the world's premiere self-publishing and print-on-demand Web site, believes in empowering creators and offering photographers, both amateur and professional, the chance to share their content with the world.

Twelve winning photos will be selected and featured on the 2008 Official NCBF Calendar, which will be available for purchase in a standard 11" x 8.5" size or in a premium 13.5" x 19" size after May 11 at www.lulu.com/blossoms. Winners will receive the honor of appearing in the calendar, one free premium version of the calendar, a National Cherry Blossom Festival® gift pack and a $100 gift certificate to MotoPhoto, the one-hour digital and regular photo processing store. Of the 12 finalists, one grand-prize winner will also be awarded a new Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT with accessories and two additional premium copies of the 2008 calendar. Additionally, the winning photograph and photographer's name will be featured on the calendar cover.

Judges from the design, photography and marketing industry will choose the winning entries, and the grand-prize winning photo will be selected by the washingtonpost.com Multimedia Photo Team. Winners will be notified by May 11 and the winner list will be posted at www.lulu.com/blossoms.

The 2007 National Cherry Blossom Festival marks the 95th anniversary of the original gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, D.C. in 1912. The annual two-week, citywide event featuring daily cultural performances, sporting events, arts & crafts demonstrations and other special events, will be taking place this year from March 31-April 15. More than 700,000 people visit Washington each year to admire the blossoming cherry trees that herald the beginning of spring in the nation's capital.

About Lulu.com:
Lulu.com is the premier marketplace for new digital content on the Internet, with more than 100,000 recently published titles, and more than 2500 new titles added each week, created by people in 80 different countries. Lulu is changing the world of publishing by enabling the creators of books, video, periodicals, multimedia and other content to publish their work themselves with complete editorial and copyright control. Lulu empowers these individuals and corporations to create high quality content products to sell directly to their customers and the rest of the Lulu.com marketplace. With storefronts provided as well as other marketing assistance, creators are fully supported to profit from their work. With Lulu offices in the US, Canada and Europe, Lulu customers can reach the globe.

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